February 15, 2021 – Fond du Lac, WI – Extreme cold temperatures persisted into day three of the 2021 sturgeon spearing season. Overall, on day three, 170 fish were harvested on the Winnebago System, with 134 harvested on Lake Winnebago and 36 harvested on the Upriver Lakes.
The registration stations on the northern half of Lake Winnebago continue to lead the daily number of fish registered.
Thomas Luedtke harvested this 153.3-pound (77.0 inches) female (F4) lake sturgeon on Lake Poygan during day three of the 2021 sturgeon spearing season. Photo courtesy Wisconsin DNR
Through three days of harvest on Lake Winnebago, 104 juvenile females, 280 adult females, and 225 males have been harvested in total. Each of the Lake Winnebago sex-specific harvest caps remains far from being reached.
The Upriver Lakes season totals have reached 34 juvenile females, 56 adult females, and 173 males. Today’s addition of harvested males and adult females to the Upriver Lakes total harvest has resulted in 30 adult females and 43 males remaining to hit the 90% trigger. See the full day three harvest breakdown in the link below.
Click HERE for the daily harvest report.
In total, nine fish over 100 pounds were speared on day three of the 2021 spearing season. Today’s largest fish on the Winnebago System was an F4 female speared by Thomas Luedtke on Lake Poygan, weighing in at 153.3 pounds (77.0 inches). It was registered at Boom Bay.
Today, the largest fish harvested on Lake Winnebago was a 123.8-pound (76.3 inches) F1 female speared by David Schneider and registered at Calumet Harbor. As an F1 female, David’s fish was in the first reproductive stage of a new reproductive cycle. Winnebago System female lake sturgeon will spawn, on average, every 3-5 years.
It is estimated a female lake sturgeon on a 4-year reproductive cycle may remain in the F1 reproductive stage for up to approximately 2 ½ years.
